USS Fae
by nycz
Summary: Aurora Rose is a young, freshly promoted starship captain that can't take her eyes off her far too attractive half Vulcan, half human first officer, Amalia "Maleficent" Moors. Star Trek AU, but can most likely be read without any prior knowledge of Star Trek.
1. Introductions

**A/N: For those interested in some Star Trek background info:**

**It takes place some time after the end of Star Trek: Voyager, probably in the late 2370s or 2380s in the main universe (i.e. not the reboot universe). The USS Fae is a Nova-class starship because they're so pwetty. Also it's a small science vessel so it makes sense that Aurora would be getting a position as a first officer there, despite her lack of experience. Maleficent is half Vulcan, half human. (Hi Spock!) The reason Aurora thinks she's Vulcan is because she ogled the image of Maleficent in her file too much to bother to read the rest. Whoops.**

**I'll do my best to keep it in the confines of canon main-universe Star Trek (no interplanetary transporters etc) but I haven't watched any of the series in a while so I might miss some things. Hopefully nothing too glaring.**

**For those not well-versed in Star Trek: a PADD is a tablet, touchscreen and everything.**

**The rating is T for now but don't bet on it staying that way. Also, I'll add more of the characters in the tags as they show up. In any case, happy reading and I hope you'll like it :)**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Introductions**

"Commander, there's an incoming transmission from Admiral Hayes."

Aurora Rose shifted uncomfortably in her chair. It still felt too big for her, too imposing. "Thank you, Ensign," she said with a stiff smile. "I'll take it in my ready room."

Sitting down at the desk in her ready room, she took a few moments to try to get her breathing under control, without much success. She knew exactly what the call was about and she had been dreading it for the last week, ever since her commanding officer and the captain of the ship – Captain Roberts – had died in a heart attack. Seeing how Starfleet was still rebuilding after the Dominion War, chances were slim that they would send another officer to take Roberts' place, which meant that she – as the first officer and the current acting captain – would have to be promoted. The responsibility wasn't something she was looking forward to.

Finally, she took a few deep breath and activated the screen, her expression fairly neutral.

"Admiral."

"Ah, Commander, it's good to see you." Hayes greeted her with a dip of his head. "I only wish it would have been under better circumstances. We got your message about Captain Roberts' passing three days ago. I'm sorry for your loss."

Aurora gave him a faint smile. "Thank you. I didn't know him that well, but it's still... difficult. It's not what I had expected, not on a scientific mission like this."

"Of course. His death came as a complete surprise to everyone. In any case, we've sent the USS Laika to bring him back to his family on Earth. It should arrive at your location in a day or so."

"We won't be taking him back?" Aurora asked.

"You have a mission, Commander, and despite the last few years, exploration and science is still a vital part of Starfleet's operation. USS Laika is already heading for Earth and only has to make a slight detour to get to you. You'll transfer the remains to the Laika before continuing the exploration of the nebula."

"I see." She paused, only barely resisting chewing on her lip. "Will they bring any new crew?"

"No. You'll have to make do with the crew you have."

She nodded, letting out a small sigh. At first, she'd hoped that her chief engineer, Commander Moors, would take over as captain as she had far more experience and time in Starfleet than Aurora, but Moors' response had been short and to the point. _No._

"I know this is sudden, but I know you can do this." His voice was firm but not unkind. "It's a small, good ship and the crew is well trained and loyal. You'll do a fine job."

"Thank you, Admiral," she said, thankful that he couldn't see her fidgeting under the desk.

He nodded curtly. "Consider yourself field promoted, Captain. Any other promotions are up to you as you see fit. The USS Fae is yours. Hayes out."

Aurora slumped back in her chair, letting out a breath she didn't know she had been holding in. She was a captain now – a _real_ captain, not just acting captain – and she had the fates of almost eighty people on her shoulders. Like she'd told the admiral, it wasn't what she had expected. No one could have expected that Captain Roberts' rare heart condition would manifest in a fatal heart attack, least of all in the middle of their mission to explore this remote nebula. Although the doctor was investigating the possibility of the nebula somehow triggering the heart attack, the last Aurora heard it looked like a simple, unpredictable fluke.

All she'd wanted had been to explore, to see the galaxy and all it had to offer. She hadn't wanted to lead, but when she'd gotten the offer to join the USS Fae, even though in the position of first officer, she hadn't hesitated to accept. A short time as first officer on the Fae's mission into the nebula and then maybe she would find an opening as a science officer later on. That had been the plan before the captain had died, leaving her as the acting captain.

Swallowing a pathetic groan, Aurora reluctantly stood and headed to the bridge. Time to tell the crew.

"Open a shipwide channel," she said, stopping in the middle of the bridge.

"Channel open, Ma'am."

Aurora straightened up, remembering how easy Roberts made it seem. "Attention, this is Captain Rose. As we all know, Captain Roberts passed away a week ago after a heart failure. Despite this sudden loss, our mission will continue – the mission he started and he led us through." She paused and breathed out, clenching her hands behind her back to stop their quivering. "As of now, I'm taking command of the ship by order of Admiral Hayes. As soon as we've rendezvoused with the USS Laika to send the captain's remains back to Earth, we will head back into the nebula to continue where we left off. Thank you."

* * *

If there was one habit Aurora loathed to have, it was the fidgeting. Numerous instructors in the academy had wrinkled their noses at it, telling her to "get her act together" and other bits of useful advice. And they were right, of course, because how could anyone be expected to take their commanding officer seriously when said officer couldn't stop wringing their hands or smoothing out their uniform? It was ridiculous, so she'd worked hard on it and managed to curb her impulses successfully in any but the most dire of situations.

At least, that was before she met Commander Moors. Aurora wasn't sure if it was her father's vitriolic hate and fear of aliens that had spilled over on her despite her best efforts, or simply the otherworldly beauty of the commander: the eyes that always seemed to shine with a hint of gold; her high, sharp cheekbones; the full lips or perhaps the simple tapering of her ears. Aurora hadn't come into contact with many aliens when growing up (needless to say, her father hadn't agreed with her career choice) and all aliens fascinated her to an extent, but her interest in the Vulcan commander was bordering on an obsession.

And now, somehow, Aurora would have to work with her, in the same room, on a daily basis. It wasn't as if she hadn't thought of other options; in fact, she had practically scoured through the whole damn ship to find someone, _anyone_ else to take up the position of first officer, but everyone was either too vital to transfer, entirely unfit for the position or both, which left her with the chief engineer, Commander Amalia Moors.

The door pinged, stirring her from her thoughts. "Enter," she called out, unable to hide the faint quiver in her voice.

In strode the tall Vulcan, calm and collected like always. "Captain. I assume you're here to discuss the vacant position of first officer?"

Aurora swallowed and straightened up in her chair, feeling very small in front of the towering woman. "I– uh, yes." She cleared her throat, feeling more like a schoolgirl asking out her crush than a captain of a starship. "You're the most qualified officer on the ship and I need a first officer. I want you on the bridge." There, simple and straight to the point without sounding too much like a blabbering idiot. Aurora mentally patted herself on the back.

"I see."

_Of course she wouldn't like it,_ Aurora thought, her posture instantly deflating. "I know you don't want a promotion, Commander, but unless we get a replacement from Starfleet, you're the only one who will fit the job."

"You seem to have misunderstood me, Captain," commander Moors said, her face a picture of Vulcan stoicism. "My refusal to be promoted to captain is not a sign of a general reluctance for higher positions in Starfleet."

Frowning, Aurora said, "oh."

"In fact, I will gladly accept the promotion to first officer."

"Oh," Aurora repeated, her face lighting up. "That's wonderful!" A split second later, she realized her decidedly un-captain-like outburst and a small blush colored her cheeks, one that only deepened as commander Moors' lips quirked up in a faint smile.

"Wonderful indeed."

"Well, onto other matters then," Aurora hurriedly mumbled, picking up a PADD while trying to forget the woman in front of her. "Do you have a suggestion for who should take over as chief engineer?"

The commander remained quiet for a moment before speaking. "Balthazar."

"Balthazar?" Aurora scrolled through the names of the crew but came up empty.

"My apologies, Captain. His name is Lieutenant Elwood Bailey." She paused, eyes darting away from Aurora in a gesture that almost looked embarrassed. "There is an informal tradition of sorts in engineering where each officer receives an alternate name."

Aurora tilted her head to the side, her brows rising in surprise. "You give each other nicknames?"

"Correct. I will of course immediately halt the practice if you–"

"No, no," Aurora stopped her with a wave of her hand, "it's fine. As long as you still know your real names, of course," she added with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Commander Moors looked anything but amused. Aurora liked to think it was her Vulcan version of pouting. "I can assure you, it was a slip of the tongue. It will not happen again, Captain."

The picture of commander Moors doing utterly unprofessional things with her tongue made Aurora's breath catch. Wetting her lips, she shook her head to try to focus on the actual commander standing in front of her and not her fantasy version. Not that she would admit that she'd been fantasizing about a fellow officer, of course.

"In any case," the commander continued, "although Lieutenant Bailey can seem difficult to work with at times, I can assure you that he's a fine officer and an excellent engineer. The engineering crew knows him and will follow him without any trouble."

Reading through the records of the Lieutenant, Aurora pursed her lips in thought. She didn't see any obvious problems with him. "Alright. If you think he can do it, the position is his."

"Then I will let him know of his promotion. If that's all, Captain?"

Aurora dipped her head and the commander turned to leave. When she was just about to leave, Aurora was suddenly hit by a thought and blurted out, "Commander?"

Turning around, Moors looked at her with an eyebrow raised in question. "Yes, Captain?"

"I, ah..." Aurora faltered, unsure if the question would be too personal. Even so, she simply had to know. "In engineering... what nickname do you have?"

The commander opened her mouth minutely only to close it again. Her eyes darted off to gaze at the large windows and her lips pursed in that adorable way that Aurora in her mind dubbed "Vulcan pouting".

"Maleficent," the commander finally said, her voice a little lower – almost huskier – than before.

"Oh," Aurora breathed, eyes wide as she unconsciously licked her lips again. That voice was awfully distracting. Realizing she was practically ogling the officer, she awkwardly cleared her throat and tore her eyes down to look at her PADD in an attempt to appear like the captain she was supposed to be. "That would be all, Commander."

Of course, her self control around Ma– Commander Moors was as bad as it got so when the doors slid open, Aurora couldn't help but look up at her. To her mortification, she wasn't met with the commander's shapely backside, but instead with an unreadable look and a smirk. A smirk! Were Vulcans even capable of smirking?

The doors slid closed and Aurora let out a shaky breath. Her cheeks burned and there was a very uncomfortable ache between her thighs. She groaned and slid down in an even less graceful position in her chair. If this was how merely a few minutes alone with Maleficent (_Commander Moors, damn it_) would be, these coming weeks and months would certainly be interesting. And awfully frustrating.

* * *

**A/N: As it is right now, I really don't know where I'll take this fic. I might just fool around and write a bunch of day in the life fluff, or make it longer and include some kind of actual plot. Suggestions are always welcome :)**


	2. Who is Major Problems?

**Chapter 2: Who is Major Problems?**

"Lay in a course back into the nebula, Ensign," Aurora said, "warp six."

"Aye, Captain."

A muted humming filled the bridge as the ship went to warp. Aurora let out a tiny sigh in pleasure; the humming of the warp engine always calmed her down and calm was something she desperately needed. After only two days as captain, the chair and the position still felt far too large for her to fill and it was showing. She was fidgeting, squirming and shifting position too often. It wasn't much, but enough for some to notice. More than a few times, she'd caught Maleficent shoot her a reproachful look, although Maleficent hadn't voiced her misgivings. Not surprisingly, that hadn't helped with Aurora's uneasiness. Merely sitting next to the larger-than-life first officer made Aurora feel like she was disappearing down into her chair.

_Commander Moors,_ she halfheartedly corrected herself. Not that it seemed to be helping, though; ever since the commander had told Aurora her nickname, Aurora's mind had been hellbent on using it and nothing else. Luckily, she hadn't said it out loud. _Yet._

She cast a quick glance to her left where Maleficent was sitting, reading something on a PADD. She looked so natural in command, so experienced and so effortlessly collected. From what she knew from Maleficent's file, she'd been serving on various ships for many years, so the experience was certainly well deserved. Perhaps Maleficent could help her adjust to her new position? She would have to ask her about that... eventually.

Her gaze came unbidden to rest on the Vulcan's face, taking in the sharp angles and the pale skin. Frowning, she lingered on her lips for a moment. They were always so striking. Did Maleficent use makeup to highlight them or were they naturally so dark? Before she had time to ponder any more, she felt herself being watched and snapped her eyes up only to find Maleficent meeting her gaze, one eyebrow slightly hitched.

Aurora immediately turned her head forward, swallowing her embarrassment as best she could as she smoothed out her uniform. She just hoped she wasn't blushing too obviously. Why couldn't she stop ogling her fellow officers? At first, she'd thought it was a general fascination with aliens, but when neither the only Bajoran on the bridge, Lieutenant Diaval, or any of the other aliens caught her eye, she figured that perhaps she simply found Vulcans in particular interesting. After all, they'd been the first species humans ever came into contact with and that had to count for something, right? But no, once again she was proven wrong when she never found herself staring longer at any Vulcans on the ship than at anyone else. Anyone except Maleficent, that is.

So basically, she was borderline obsessed with one of the most inaccessible people on the ship. Even disregarding the potential problems regarding rank and ethics violations, Vulcans weren't exactly known for being the most cuddly and warm people in the galaxy. Devising a way to get anything more than cordial with one seemed to be an achievement worthy of the Daystrom Prize.

A sudden shiver that rocked the ship immediately pulled her out of her musings.

"Report," Maleficent commanded, a hint of a frown marring her face and her PADD instantly forgotten in her lap.

The officer at the helm – Ensign Philip Scarlett, a young man straight out of the academy – was frantically tapping on the display, shaking his head. "I have no idea, Commander. We just dropped down to warp two without warning and I can't get it any higher." He rubbed his neck, staring at the display. "It... might have something to do with the fluctuations in the power grid. I'm not sure. I've never seen anything like it."

Sharing a quick glance with Maleficent, Aurora licked her lips and tapped her combadge. "Lieutenant Bailey, is there a problem in engineering? We just lost speed." The last thing she needed was a breakdown of one or more of the ship's systems. Losing the captain had been bad enough.

"I'm sorry, Captain. I don't have time to explain, but we have to drop out of warp and shut down the core. We've got some major problems down here."

A lump in Aurora's throat made her swallow hard. Major problems on her ship was the absolutely last thing she would've wanted. "I'm on my way. Do what you need to do." Tapping the combadge again, she stood and turned to Maleficent. "I'd like you down there as well, Commander." When Maleficent only gave her a questioning look, she continued. "I've barely talked to him and you were chief engineer up until two days ago. I could use your assistance."

"Very well," Maleficent agreed after a moment of consideration, following Aurora to the turbolift.

* * *

"Commander," Aurora said as they walked to engineering, finally able to gather enough courage to ask her. "I was wondering if you, ah, would want to have lunch with me today? I mean, we're going to have to work closely together now and I– we barely know each other." She hoped it sounded as logical said out loud as it did in her head. Not that she wanted to impress the Vulcan with her logic. Definitely not.

"I'm afraid that will not be possible," Maleficent replied. "I have a previous engagement."

"Oh." She felt a mixture of disappointment and jealousy – something she knew she _definitely_ had no right to feel – and couldn't help the slight slouch of her body that the reply resulted in.

"Tonight, however, I'm am free." Maleficent glanced at Aurora with an unreadable look in her eyes. "If you're willing to have dinner instead."

"Oh! Yes, I'd like that very much," Aurora exclaimed, her beaming smile and her attempt at a stoic attitude worthy of her position warring for dominance on her face. "I mean, um, yes. I'm willing." Hearing what she just said, she wanted to smack herself. Sure, she was willing – willing like a horny teenager spreading her legs for the first tall, smoldering Vulcan that came along. This time she almost groaned; she did _not_ need images like that in her mind but they seemed to become a regular occurrence around Maleficent.

The Vulcan in question was curiously watching Aurora and the mass of emotions that crossed her face, head tilted slightly in an unspoken question. Aurora could practically hear her thoughts: _Curious little beastie. So young and illogical. Always bouncing around and feeling things. How quaint._ She shook her head, willing her blush to disappear.

"Captain, Commander," Lieutenant Bailey greeted them when they entered main engineering. He was tall and imposing but not bulky and looked like he would inflict serious bodily harm to the next person who annoyed him. If it was his usual appearance or because of the problems with the engine, Aurora wasn't sure. "We've just turned off the warp core and pulled the power from all tactical systems, most of the shields, holodecks and a few other systems. Things appear to be stable. For now."

"Get to the point, Balthazar," Maleficent told him, surprising Aurora with the unusually human phrase.

"Of course, Commander," he muttered in his hoarse voice. "In short, some of the gas we've collected from the nebula have escaped confinement and contaminated the whole power grid. We're lucky that we found it this quickly. If it reached the core, we might all have been charred remains by now."

"But we've been in the nebula for weeks," Aurora argued, her brows furrowed. "Shouldn't we have noticed something before now?" She turned to Maleficent, happy that she'd brought the former chief engineer. Engineering had never been Aurora's strong suit. "Did you know anything about this?"

Maleficent shook her head. "I've heard nothing of this before now."

"Come on, I'll show you," Balthazar told them, waving them over to a computer console. Pulling up graphics over the engine and the warp nacelles, he started to explain. "When we were in the nebula, we used the bussard collectors to take samples of the nebula's matter. The buffers," he pointed to a small area near the openings of the collectors, "are where the gas stay for a while before it's transferred to its destination: holding tanks or one of the science labs for example."

Aurora nodded, studying the graphics intensely and soaking up every word. Although she wasn't much for engineering, she had made a point of learning layout of the USS Fae until she knew the ship inside and out.

"Now, when we exited the nebula, the bussard collectors were disabled and the buffers were purged." He jabbed the screen, zooming in. "Or so we thought. Turns out the particles in the gas reacted to the purge in a way no one knew they could – at least not the ship engineers. Somehow the gas created microfractures in the isolation of the buffers. When we went back into the nebula and activated the bussard collectors again, some of the gas went through the fractures, spreading to nearby systems."

"So that's what Lieutenant Scarlett saw as fluctuations in the power grid?" Aurora asked, clenching her jaw together. "The power grid is affected?"

"Correct," Balthazar noted gruffly. "When we went to warp, the gas spread quickly throughout the power grid. We're lucky it didn't reach the core before we found out and shut it down. That shiver that pulled the warp down to two? That was the gas disabling one of the nacelles."

A shiver shot up her spine as Aurora thought of the possibility that they would've just exploded without any warning. It was chilling. "Alright. What's the plan to repair this?"

Balthazar and Maleficent exchanged looks before Balthazar turned back to Aurora. "A complete, manual purge of the whole power grid, replacing the parts of it that are too badly damaged. Before we do that, though, we'll have to replace and reinforce the isolation around the bussard collectors and do a complete sweep of the grid to find out the extent of the damage."

"How long will it take?" Aurora asked, her stomach dropping. This was supposed to be a simple mission.

"At most a few days until we can do the purge. That will take anywhere between a few hours and a few days though, and will have to be done with the power grid offline." He crossed his arms. "No main power, auxiliary or emergency power. Only battery powered generators."

"We should replicate portable lighting units and air recyclers before we turn of the power, among other things," Maleficent noted with a glance at Aurora. "And we should begin preparations as soon as possible."

"Agreed," Aurora said, barely managing to keep a quaver out of voice, her palms sweaty. "I'll make an announcement when we're back on the bridge. Send a full report to me when you have anything else, Lieutenant."

"Yes, Captain. Commander." He headed back to the warp core and Aurora and Maleficent left, walking briskly back to the bridge.

"He's one of the best engineers I've known," Maleficent said after a while, not looking at Aurora. "We will get through this unharmed."

"Yes. Of course," Aurora mumbled, eyes unfocused as her mind raced through what she would say to the crew.

"_You_ will get us through this unharmed, Captain." Maleficent's words made Aurora start and look up. "Despite your lack of experience, I find you to be a very promising officer."

"Thanks," Aurora breathed, then looked down again, chewing on her lip. "I never wanted to be captain, though. Honestly, I barely even wanted to be first officer, but I couldn't get a science position on any ship on an interesting mission." She wasn't sure she should be saying this, but she needed to tell someone. "But then I got this offer and I had to get away from– I wanted to get away."

"Captain."

She shook her head with a wistful smile, too lost in her own mind to hear Maleficent. "And then the captain dies and the ship is dead in the water, moments away from a core breach and killing everyone on board. I should have known, or made sure it was safe, or–"

"_Captain Rose_." That, finally, caused Aurora to look up in surprise. "Neither I nor Lieutenant Bailey had foreseen this. It is on us, not on you. Do not blame yourself for things that are out of your control."

They stepped into the turbolift and Aurora nodded weakly. "I... I know. I'm sorry. I'm just... I don't know. It's all a bit overwhelming," she said quietly and shrugged.

"Indeed it is."

Something with how terse Maleficent sounded made Aurora turn her head toward her, studying the Vulcan's face intensely. Her jaws were clenched and her face was harder than usual.

"What?" Maleficent asked, voice a little sharp.

"You're a Vulcan–"

"An astute observation."

"–so you don't have to deal with any emotions, right? I mean, you have them, but you repress them. You don't _feel_ them."

Had Maleficent been human, Aurora would have said she looked vaguely uncomfortable. As it was, she wasn't sure at all what Maleficent's facial expression really meant.

"While that may be the case for Vulcans, I am only half Vulcan. My father was human." She raised an eyebrow, appearing somewhat annoyed. "Did you neglect to read my file?"

"Oh, I, ah– I'm, I mean, I _read_ it but I... must have missed that." Aurora was stammering, blushing both from missing such an important detail and from remembering why she'd missed it. The photo of Maleficent in her file had been so striking, she'd gotten a little... distracted. "I'm sorry. I should've known."

"It is alright." Maleficent paused. "Although I may appear Vulcan, I can assure you that I do have more emotions than a full Vulcan." She tilted her nose up into the air just a bit, wrinkling it in a show of disgust. "I simply don't flaunt them."

"I see." Aurora blinked, once again unable to take her eyes off of Maleficent. Images of Maleficent scowling, looking surprised, laughing and smiling flashed through her mind, leaving her with only one thought. Somehow, some day – preferably soon – she had to see Maleficent's smile.


	3. Eat while you still can

**A/N: Well, this took (much) longer than I expected, but at least I'm finally fairly happy with this chapter, plus I have a pretty detailed outline on the whole rest of the story. Expect adventure and silliness and drama as you would from a regular Star Trek episode. As it looks now, this might get up to anywhere between 10 and 20 chapters. Probably not more.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Eat while you still can**

The mess hall was predictably full and lively at lunchtime, but it didn't bother Maleficent much. What did bother her was Lieutenant Diaval's inability to show up on time to lunch. To make matters worse, she suspected that he was only doing it to annoy her.

A few minutes later (and several minutes _late_) the lieutenant walked through the doors to the mess hall. After getting a his lunch from the replicator, he sought out Maleficent's table and sat down, ignoring the glare she threw at him.

"You're late," Maleficent noted, cocking an eyebrow at him, "as usual."

"Busy day on the bridge. New first officer and everything," Diaval noted distractedly, taking a bite of his hasperat. Chewing on it, he shook his head. "They never get the spices right on these things. What is it with humans and spices," he mumbled.

Maleficent gave him a disapproving look but didn't reply, instead turning her attention to her own meal. Minutes passed as they ate in silence, but Maleficent could feel the tension in the air. Looking up, she found Diaval staring at her expectantly.

"What?" she said flatly.

Diaval swallowed quickly. "So you're just going to pretend like nothing happened?"

"I wasn't aware that you suddenly had developed an interest in the inner workings of the power grid."

"Really funny. I'm talking about you suddenly being in command." When Maleficent didn't seem to have any intention to respond, he continued. "You've been avoiding promotions for years now, ever since the incident at–"

"I don't wish to speak about that, _lieutenant_," Maleficent snapped, "as I have made very clear several times." She paused, as if she was about to continue her meal, but then put down her fork with a terse sigh. "Seeing how the captain is still fairly inexperienced, she needed an experienced first officer. I was the logical choice."

"That's what your going with? 'It's logical'?"

"As much as I would like to avoid these kinds of promotions, it would be extremely irresponsible for me to turn it down this time with so few appropriate alternatives for Captain Rose to choose from."

Narrowing his eyes, Diaval leaned back in his chair but said nothing. A few seconds passed before he turned back to his food and for a while, Maleficent thought that was the end of the conversation. But of course, he had to pry.

"So, the captain," he said slowly, "what did she say to convince you?"

Maleficent had to make an effort not to roll her eyes. Sometimes Diaval really managed to bring out the human in her. "She asked me to take the post."

"She _asked_ you," Diaval muttered incredulously. "You know, sometimes I truly don't understand you. People have asked you countless times before and you've always rejected them. What's so special about her?"

"I don't wish to talk about it," Maleficent said, her voice low and a hint of a frown marring her forehead. To be honest, she wasn't actually sure. Something was undoubtedly special about the young captain, or the conversation in her ready room that day would have been very different.

_"Captain. I assume you're here to discuss the vacant position of first officer?"_

_"You're the most qualified officer on the ship and I need a first officer. I want you on the bridge."_

_"I'm afraid I'll have to decline."_

_"Why?"_

_"My reasons are my own, Captain. I do not wish to share them."_

She had gone to the captain's ready room, intent on saying exactly that, but the conversation hadn't turn out like that at all. In fact, when Captain Rose had deflated like a popped balloon after her initial remark, Maleficent quickly decided that – for some _emotional_ reason – she would have to accept the promotion. So she quickly reversed position completely, saying something ridiculous about differences in promotions. Of course her refusal to be promoted was a "sign of general reluctance" for higher positions in Starfleet; she had avoided them like the Terrellian plague for years. Yet one young and eager captain made her toss all that out the airlock after a grand total of ten seconds in her company.

It was by far one of the most illogical things she had found herself doing. In retrospect, it wasn't entirely surprising, however. She had noticed how her human side often surfaced more around Captain Rose well before either of them got promoted. The young woman had a way of pulling Maleficent out of her shell that – while she found it unsettling at times – she couldn't honestly say she didn't enjoy, to some extent at least. It was rather strange.

Diaval looked like he wanted to continue, but changed his mind, giving Maleficent a strange look. Then he shook his head and took another bite of his lunch. "Well, speaking of the power grid. Do you know how long it will be offline?"

Thankful for the change of topic, Maleficent replied, "I spoke to Balthazar before I came here. He said they can't be sure of the extent of the damage until they can check manually when the power is offline. His estimations was anything from a few hours to several days."

"That's just wonderful," he muttered. "Living off emergency rations. How I've missed it."

Maleficent said nothing, only wondering to herself what the captain would be able to make for dinner that evening.

* * *

The walk to the captain's quarters was a gloomier than usual, with only the dim auxiliary lights illuminating the corridors. At least the turbolifts were still running. Maleficent had never enjoyed crawling through the Jeffries tubes; they were small and cramped, especially on a small Nova class starship like the USS Fae. Although, who _did_ enjoy Jeffries tubes, really?

A hint of a smile touched her lips as an image of a certain captain eagerly exploring every nook and cranny of the ship came up in her mind. Yes, Captain Rose was perhaps the only one – with a sound mind, at least – that Maleficent knew who might actually enjoy crawling around in Jeffries tubes. From what Maleficent had seen of the captain, she'd been intrigued by almost everything from the first moment she arrived on board the ship. She seemed to have a will to learn and experience new things rivaling the intensity of the Ferengi's greed and the Klingons' lust for combat.

The thought of her captain pulled Maleficent's mind back to the dinner at hand. She wasn't entirely sure why she had agreed to it in the first place – scratch that, she knew perfectly well, she just couldn't explain it, at least not to another Vulcan. She let out an annoyed puff of breath. _Emotions_. Such a confusing, complicating concept. Looking fully Vulcan while being half human certainly didn't help, as her human nature often made it difficult for her to keep the Vulcan stoicism and peace of mind that was expected of her. She was human, she was Vulcan, yet she was neither. One thing was certain, however: the captain was very difficult to say no to.

As she stopped in front of the captain's quarters, she purged the confusing thoughts from her mind. She was here to have dinner, not to psychoanalyze herself. It was just a dinner to increase familiarity between two senior officers who were going to be working closely together. With her mind temporarily at ease, she pressed the doorbell and waited.

When the door opened, she was met with a rather frazzled Captain Rose standing in the doorway, cheeks rosy and her blonde hair a mess of tangled locks that tumbled down her shoulders. It fit her, Maleficent decided with some amusement, being as bright and irregular as the captain herself.

"Oh, Commander!" the captain greeted, her expression apparently unable to choose between elation and surprise. "I didn't expect you to be so punc– oh, ah, never mind. I'm almost done with dinner. Please come in!"

Maleficent stepped inside and took in the room, letting her eyes sweep over the interior. Living candles were placed on nearly all flat surfaces throughout the room, bathing everything in a soft, warm light. Although the room itself was fairly sparsely decorated when it came to furniture, the walls were covered with paintings and various decorations, most of them clearly not human in origin. It only further cemented her belief that Captain Rose was quite different from most humans she'd met before. She had to admit, the captain intrigued her.

"I'm making dinner, but with the replicators offline I've had to freshen up my cooking skills. And then," Aurora waved her hand at the room, "I had to find these candles because I really can't stand the light cells or the emergency lighting. So I'm sorry if I look a little stressed."

"It's quite alright, Captain," Maleficent said with a slight nod. "I must say I approve of your lighting choices. Living candles are highly underrated."

Aurora's face lit up with a smile that quickly turned into a wince. "I'm– I know this probably violates several Starfleet regulations, but could you maybe... not call me 'captain'?" When Maleficent merely raised an eyebrow, she continued. "I mean, only when we're alone. And I know we're not exactly friends or even acquainted, really, but we're–" She stopped abruptly, taking a deep breath. "You've served in Starfleet longer than I've lived, I think, and I've barely graduated from the academy. I'd like if this would be more... off the record. Just you and me, not as captain and first officer but Aurora and Mal– um, I mean, ah." Wincing again, she shook her head and sighed. "I probably shouldn't talk before dinner. Why don't you just, ah, forget this conversation and have a seat at the table."

"Very well," Maleficent agreed, only to add, "Aurora," after a moment's consideration. She was here to further relations between her and the captain and if that meant using her name, it obviously was the logical choice. She promptly ignored the gleeful voice in the back of her head that noted that she'd never done that for anyone except Diaval, Balthazar and a few others, all following years of using their titles.

The subsequent blush was clear even in the dim candlelight and Aurora hurried over to the kitchen area following a few incoherent, stammering remarks. As the young woman continued preparing the food, Maleficent studied her with a curious expression. For some reason, Aurora always seemed nervous around her. It was rather odd, seeing how easily she interacted with the rest of the crew, non-humans included. Perhaps she'd heard about or noticed Maleficent cynical manners and it made her uncomfortable? After all, Maleficent wasn't exactly known for her friendly demeanor, even by Vulcan standards. Not that she'd ever exposed Aurora all that much to it.

Aurora returned to the table with a few bowls, interrupting her musings. "So since the replicators are offline I figured I'd make something from scratch instead." Putting the bowls down, she was just about to speak when Maleficent interrupted her.

"Is this jok'olan salad?" Maleficent asked, surprised at seeing a Vulcan dish served. Most humans found their food a bit too bland for their taste.

Aurora beamed at Maleficent as she sat down at the table, across from Maleficent. "It is! I thought it would be nice to try it since I can't really serve anything hot without the replicators anyway. I hope you enjoy it."

She did enjoy it, surprisingly enough. The salad was tastefully bland, the ingredients crisp and well prepared. She hadn't expected it made so close to the original Vulcan recipe. Most non-Vulcans usually added something – or a lot – of their own. As much as variation was enjoyable from time to time, sometimes the original truly was the best.

"Did you like it?" Aurora asked, seeing how Maleficent helped herself to more of the salad.

"It is quite delectable. I was surprised at how authentic you have made it. I would not have known it wasn't made by a Vulcan."

"Oh, that's wonderful! Thank you," Aurora exclaimed, basking in the praise. "I did a lot of research to get this right, you know. I never knew Vulcans were so meticulous when it comes to food. How to cut the ingredients, the special kinds of oil to use, what parts to use and not to use. It was very exciting!"

Maleficent gave her a curious look. "I wasn't aware you found Vulcan cuisine so fascinating."

"I find everything alien fascinating," Aurora explained excitedly. "Especially Vulcan culture – there's so much to learn! Most people just hear about the lack of emotions and then that's it. Some of my fellow cadets even thought that all Vulcans do is to sit around and meditate about logic all day. But there's so much _more_! That's why I find you so interesting." She blinked. "I mean, not specifically _you_ – although I do find you very interesting too – but not, you know..." Deflating slightly, she stopped her rambling and looked down at her lap, her blush coming back with vengeance. When she looked up again, she was just about to say something when she closed her mouth and frowned, tilting her head inquisitively. "Are you smiling, Commander?"

"Absolutely not," Maleficent denied, willfully ignoring the smile that had played on her lips ever since Aurora had begun her amusing chatter. "And please, call me Maleficent."

For a brief moment, Maleficent worried that Aurora would either suffer some form of brain injury or leap over the table to hug her, but luckily, neither happened. Instead, Aurora just smiled, a smile so bright that it made Maleficent wonder if the candles were really necessary.

* * *

The dinner continued with pleasant, lighthearted conversation mixed with comfortable silence and occasional bouts of rambling and blushing on Aurora's part. All in all, it was an enjoyable evening, even though Maleficent often found herself annoyed at her lack of emotional control. Aurora was and continued to be the one person she couldn't keep her stoic front up towards, despite her continued efforts. It was just so _easy_ to let her lips curl up in a smile when Aurora spoke of her interest in the intricacies of some alien culture or something similar; she barely even noticed it until she sat there and grinned like an idiot. Bah.

It wasn't until near midnight that Maleficent finally decided to call it a night. Staying after midnight would not set a good standard for other officers, especially since they both had shifts the next morning. Lingering in the doorway, she was unsure of how to proceed. Leaving with only a hurried goodbye felt a little too abrupt.

"I really had a good time, Com– Maleficent," Aurora said, a comfortable smile playing on her lips.

Maleficent acknowledged it with a gentle nod, trying not to get too distracted by the way Aurora's hair glowed in the candlelight. Why she even noticed it was beyond her comprehension. "As did I."

Aurora's eyes flitted down to the floor, then around the room before coming back to meet Maleficent's. "I... would love to do it again some day." She wrung her hands nervously.

Maleficent's first thought was to accept. But was that really a responsible choice? Cultivating her friendship – surely after this evening, it had to be called that – with the captain could lead to problems if their relationship interfered with their posts. On the other hand, increased social interactions between officers often led to better performance, especially on a small ship like this. Taking into account Aurora's limited experience as well, an increased familiarity between them might make it easier for Maleficent to make suggestions regarding command decisions. Satisfied with her logic, she replied, "I believe I would like that as well."

"Wonderful," Aurora replied, her smile wide and bright.

"Good night, Aurora."

"Good night," Aurora said with a little nod and added, "until next time."

For some reason, Maleficent found it difficult to concentrate on anything that night, with images of blond hair and beaming smiles distracting her when she tried to meditate. Finally, she gave up and went to bed instead. Meditation would simply have to wait.


	4. Your touch feels like a pile of blanket

**A/N: This chapter is a little longer than usual because I'm completely incompetent when it comes to keeping it brief. I'll try to keep the chapters around 2-3k words, but some may (obviously) get longer.**

**All errors are my own since I don't have a beta. Hopefully they're not too many.**

**Thanks for reading and reviewing! Enjoy :)**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Your touch feels like a pile of blankets**

It was two days after Maleficent's and Aurora's shared dinner and since then even more systems had been taken offline. Weapons, shields, holodecks and transporters were all offline, leaving only the most vital systems running. And with no systems to manage, most of the bride staff had been transferred to other parts of the ship to assist with repairs. Despite the calm that reigned on the bridge, Maleficent couldn't seem to concentrate on anything. She was sure this was the third time she'd read the same sentence, something about the rerouting power through secondary and tertiary relays...

Resisting the urge to drum her fingers on the armrest, she glanced towards the helm. The helmsman – Ensign Philip Scarlett – was still chatting with the captain, both appearing to have an enjoyable time together. Maleficent didn't like him much. He always seemed to want to be physically close to the captain, talking and laughing and giving Maleficent a headache. Although he never explicitly violated any regulations, she felt it to be quite improper for an ensign to seek to form a close relationship with the captain, citing the risks of unfair treatment and conflicts of interest.

Ensign Scarlett suddenly laughed, presumably at something Aurora had said, and scooted a little closer, sitting on the very edge of the chair. Maleficent narrowed her eyes at the view. _Definitely conduct unbecoming an officer._

After a few minutes their conversation finally come to a close, with Aurora leaving the helm with a parting smile. Ensign Scarlett, clearly ignorant of Starfleet protocol, let his eyes linger for a moment longer at the captain's form before a nearly inaudible cough from Maleficent made him turn towards her. His eyes met her hard gaze and he blinked, clearly surprised by her disapproving expression. Shifting his eyes nervously between Maleficent and Aurora, he then turned back around fast enough for the chair to squeak in displeasure.

Maleficent glared at his back for a few more seconds before leaning back and picking up her PADD again. Maybe _now_ she could get some work done.

"You shouldn't be so hard on him, Commander," came Aurora's soft and low voice, scolding her.

Maleficent looked up from her PADD, an eyebrow raised in silent question.

Aurora just returned her look, nodding her head towards the helm. "You were staring at him as if he was some kind of war criminal. This is his first post on a starship, you know."

"I'm aware," Maleficent replied flatly. His inexperience did not make her dislike his blatant disregard for the chain of command any less.

"He just seemed so nervous around me, I figured it'd be good to get to know him a little better." A mischievous smirk made its way onto her lips. "Didn't you say something about 'increasing familiarity in the workplace' the other day?"

Although she saw the mirth in Aurora's eyes, the words still felt rather distasteful on her tongue. "Of course." With a final glare at Ensign Scarlett, she turned her attention back to her PADD. She had work to do.

Suddenly, Maleficent felt a soft hand cover her own and then felt a hint of Aurora's warm breath on her cheek.

"Don't worry," Aurora whispered conspiratorially, "I still like you more than him."

Maleficent stared at her PADD, her mind having all but gone offline from Aurora's touch and her close proximity. This was why she didn't let people touch her: it only served as a distraction. A vaguely pleasant one, perhaps, but still a distraction.

Then she heard Aurora giggle and the breath on her cheek grew hotter as Aurora leaned closer. "And not just because of your ears," Aurora added. After another second, Aurora sat back in her chair, leaving Maleficent confused and speechless. Speechless because her mind apparently needed a lot of time to recover from the captain's touch and confused... confused because she realized she already missed the warmth. And what was it with humans and Vulcan ears?

She glanced over at Aurora who seemed entirely unfazed except for a faint blush coloring her cheeks. Looking back at her PADD, she shook her head. As always, Aurora's presence was an unpredictable and strange factor that seemed to defy logic. How she was supposed to work with Aurora while maintaining an adequate work standard was very unclear. Perhaps she could speak with her about some boundaries for their relationship. No physical contact, no conspiratorial whispering. Needless to say, her human parts did not approve of the proposed boundaries.

With a sigh, she put down her PADD and got to her feet. She would obviously not get anything done here.

"I will see if I can assist with the repairs in engineering," she announced to the captain.

"Oh, okay," Aurora replied, her face dropping almost imperceptibly. "Keep me posted."

Maleficent nodded and headed for the turbolift, pushing aside all thoughts of the captain for now.

* * *

In stark contrast to the nearly deserted bridge, engineering was bustling with life. Officers with any form of engineering training or other useful skills had been called in to help with the purging of the compromised systems as the systems they had originally been assigned to had gone offline.

"Balthazar," she said as she entered. The chief engineer was leaning over a console, tapping sporadically at the screen.

Glancing up, he gave a quick nod to Maleficent before turning back to the console. "Maleficent. Good. I was about to contact you."

"Oh?"

"We need to shut down the last non-essential systems soon to make the final shutdown as short as possible." Gesturing for Maleficent to step closer, he gestured at the screen where several numbers were listed. "During the final purge we'll have to do a complete blackout, including life support and at minimal, it'll take about ten hours."

Maleficent frowned slightly. "That sounds reasonable."

"Yeah," he grunted, tapping a few buttons on the console. A chart came up on the screen. "Problem is, either we turn off all non-essential systems right now and spend the night with only partial life support while we clean what we can, or the purge might take more time than we have." Another few taps and the chart changed. "Meaning that purging all the systems tomorrow will take more time than it takes for the atmosphere to become impossible to work in, even with oxygen masks. We'd have to evacuate to the shuttles and possibly the escape pods for... hell, I don't know how long. Moving around in environmental suits is bad enough, trying to _work_ in them is a complete mess, so estimating how long it'll take to complete the purge in those is nearly impossible."

"I take it you've taken into account using portable heating units?"

Balthazar nodded. "And closing all vents. We've still got to take life support offline on nearly half the decks if we want to make it in time without evacuating the ship."

"I'm starting to reconsider our decision not to ask Starfleet for towing assistance," Maleficent muttered. Moving the crew between decks was better than evacuating to escape pods, but in this case 'better' was by no means 'good'.

"We both know that wouldn't do any good," Balthazar huffed. "Say they actually find a ship this month? It would still take years to tow us out on impulse power. We might as well get out and push."

"Or we could attempt to tow the ship at warp." Her lips curled up in a hint of smile. "And then enjoy the fireworks." Without a functioning warp drive, they would be torn apart by the warp field itself. Even getting to warp one in one piece would be a nearly impossible task.

A matching smile played on Balthazar's lips. "True." He shook his head and glared at the screen. "No, we're alone on this one."

Maleficent stepped up to the console and ran her fingers over it, entering a few commands. "Which systems would have to be shut down?"

Balthazar rubbed his neck. "Pretty much everything. Turbo lifts, the deflector, thrusters, sensors, subspace communications, auxiliary lighting, inertial dampeners and parts of life support. That leaves partial life support, ship-wide communications, emergency lighting and... that's it. We'd have to empty a few decks, everyone would have to share cabins and the hull would probably take some damage, but we wouldn't have to evacuate the ship."

Maleficent nodded. "It would seem to be the best course of action, considering the alternatives." She paused. "I doubt the captain will enjoy the news, though." Maleficent wasn't particularly excited to break the news to her, either.

"Not something I'd want on my hands after a few days on the job, no," Balthazar agreed.

A somewhat gloomy silence fell between the two officers as they were both lost in their own thought.

Finally, Maleficent spoke up. "In any case, is there something I can assist with while I'm down here?" At Balthazar's odd look, she explained, "There is not much for me to do on the bridge other than reading status reports."

Balthazar gave her a wry grin but didn't comment. "Fenrir is running simulations of the purge to optimize the process and hopefully shave off an hour or so. If you'd like to help..." He left the invitation hanging in the air, gesturing in the direction of an officer on the other side of engineering who was bent over a console, tapping rapidly.

"I'll see what I can do," Maleficent agreed.

* * *

It was late afternoon when Aurora heard the turbolift doors slide open, interrupting the quiet stillness that filled the bridge. All bridge officers except the captain herself had left to help with the evacuation of the decks that was about to lose life support. Only Aurora was still there, reading reports in the darkness.

"Captain," came the low greeting as Maleficent sat down in her chair, next to Aurora.

"Commander," Aurora replied, relaxing a bit. She was by no means afraid of the dark, but sitting alone on the deserted bridge with only a PADD and the dim emergency lights to keep her company was nothing she enjoyed.

On the other hand, she worried that Maleficent might still be upset from Aurora touching her. She wasn't entirely sure what had gotten into her back there, telling Maleficent that she "liked her", like some kid in preschool. It had been ridiculous to think that Maleficent had actually been jealous, despite how much it had looked that way to Aurora, but she hadn't been able to resist teasing Maleficent about it anyway.

Licking her lips, Aurora tentatively said, "I... I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable earlier. Before you left for engineering. I didn't mean anything by it." Maybe not the complete truth, but it was close enough.

Maleficent opened her mouth as if to speak, then frowned and closed it again. Letting out a puff of breath, her posture deflated just a little. "It's quite alright. My departure was... unrelated. I required something to occupy my mind with."

"I'm glad." Aurora couldn't stop her small relieved smile. Cocking her head to the side, she gave Maleficent a look. "Although, I do like your ears," she muttered absentmindedly, too late realizing she had said it out loud.

Maleficent's eyebrow rose. "It seems a common occurrence among humans." Shaking her head minutely – Aurora thought of it as her way of saying "silly humans" without _actually_ saying it – she straightened and continued, "I take it you've looked over Balthazar's plan for tonight and tomorrow?"

Aurora nodded. "Yes, it looks good." She shivered, putting down her PADD and rubbing her hands together. When had it gotten so cold?

"How long have you been sitting here?" Maleficent asked, turning to look at her more closely.

"A few hours, probably?" Aurora shrugged. "Since you left for engineering, I think."

"And you are aware that life support is only running on partial power?"

Aurora got the feeling that she was hearing Maleficent's you-are-an-idiot-voice. Reserved only for the mentally deficient, small children and the captain of the USS Fae. She felt her cheeks heat up. "Well, yes, of course." So maybe she hadn't actually _done_ anything about it, but she _had_ read the report.

Maleficent looked at her for a few more seconds, before she shook her head and got to her feet. A moment later she came back with a bundle of fabric in her arms. "Stand up."

"But–"

A hind of annoyance flashed over the otherwise stoic woman's face. "You need to get warm. I will not have my captain incapacitated by a combination of insufficient planning and completely preventable hypothermia."

"What?" Aurora blinked. Had Maleficent just called her "my captain"? Although, it was common phrase, no? But the way she said it...

Realizing that her mind were going places it definitely shouldn't and that Maleficent was still waiting, she reluctantly got to her feet, completely forgetting the PADD in her lap. It fell down, skidding over to stop at the base of the helm. She was about to step forward and pick it up when a firm, yet gentle hand on her arm stopped her.

"I will get that for you, Captain. Now stand still." Without further ado, Maleficent wrapped the fabric – where had she found a blanket? – around Aurora, making sure that she still could get her hands out and then gently deposited Aurora back down into her seat. Aurora could swear she even saw a little smirk on Maleficent's lips when Aurora finally was seated.

Attempting to regain some of her dignity, Aurora huffed and shifted herself into a position that was more "captain" and less "ridiculous pile of blankets". "Would you mind getting my PADD for me, _Commander_?" she asked, her nose a little higher in the air than usual.

"Of course. _Captain_," Maleficent replied with a twinkle in her eyes that spoke volumes of how seriously she took Aurora. Obviously, pulling rank was getting Aurora nowhere.

Aurora snatched back her PADD when Maleficent offered it, trying to hold on to her indignant mood. Wrapped in a huge, warm blanket and staring into Maleficent's sparkling eyes, though, she found it almost impossible. With a sigh, she gave up all hopes of dignity and grace and instead turned her attention to her PADD.

"So, Balthazar should have turned off everything by now, right?" she asked, looking through the report once more.

"He indicated that he would wait until I had left to power down the turbolifts, the deflector and the inertial dampeners. We should feel the effects soon, I believe."

"Oh." Aurora frowned, tapping on her PADD. "Good thing we'll only–"

The ship suddenly rumbled and the last of the usual humming on the bridge died down. The silence was eerie, but was soon interrupted by the echoing sounds of meteoroids and micrometeorids hitting the hull.

"Soon, indeed," Maleficent mumbled.

"As I was saying–" Aurora winced as an especially loud clunk echoed through the bridge, "–it's a good thing we'll only be without the navigational shield for a day. Hopefully, those meteoroids will only scratch the painting. We really can't afford a hull breach." Without emergency power online no force fields would be available to stop a breach. Whole decks could be vented into space in a matter of minutes, should the worst happen. She took a deep breath and tried to will away the worry.

"I doubt you have to worry, Captain. We haven't detected any meteoroids large enough to breach the hull, so it's highly unlikely the damage will be anything more than superficial," Maleficent assured her. "Still, I strongly recommend we head for Utopia Planitia as soon as we are clear of the nebula."

Aurora nodded and leaned back, letting her PADD fall down in her lap. She was exhausted. Not that she had done anything physically tiring all day, but just... she was in charge. Her crew looked to her to lead them and to find and take the best course of action in difficult situations. It drained her, thinking and deciding and worrying. What if the purge took longer than expected? What if there was an accident while the comm system was down? What if–

"Are you feeling warmer yet, Captain?" Maleficent abruptly interrupted her unpleasant thoughts.

"Hm? Oh," Aurora replied, looking down at the large blanket still wrapped around her body. "Yes, much warmer." She smiled back at Maleficent. "Thank you." In any case, she was glad to have Maleficent as her first officer. The Vulcan brought a certain peace and calm to most situations that Aurora greatly appreciated.

"Good," Maleficent murmured, steadily meeting Aurora's gaze.

After a few moments of silence, Aurora averted her eyes, a little flustered. She had yet to meet another person – Vulcan or not – with as intense eyes as Maleficent.

Frowning, she suddenly remembered something. "Maleficent, about the evacuation..." she said slowly, going through the report on her PAD to find the part she was looking for.

"Yes?"

Aurora frowned at the PADD. "You placed us in the same quarters. In my quarters." She'd read it hours earlier when she first got it, of course, but it hadn't really registered in her mind. Living assignments had been the least of her worries when the rest of the report was about meteoroids, hull damage, backup plans and emergencies.

"Yes."

"Oh." Pause. She was sure Maleficent could hear the cogs in her mind turn. "So, we're sleeping together tonight." Her cheeks heated up as if they'd been hit by a phaser blast. "Not like– I mean, this evening in the same quarters, until the systems are back online and your deck – where you live – has life support again. Right?" She wasn't entirely sure what she'd just said, but she was fairly certain that Maleficent could decipher it.

"Yes." Maleficent lifted an eyebrow. "We're close in rank, we know each other well enough and we both have expressed interest in further socialization. It was the logical choice."

Aurora blinked, absentmindedly agreeing. "Right, right. Of course." Spending the night with Maleficent. In the same room as Maleficent.

She was going to go insane.

"We could always modify the arrangements. You could share a room with the doctor–"

"What? No!" Aurora exclaimed, surprising both her and Maleficent. "I mean, no. That won't be necessary. We can't just go around making changes without any reasons like that." She paused, trying not to picture Maleficent with less clothing. Or Maleficent with bedhead. Or just about any other scenario her dirty mind could come up with that included Maleficent. "No, like you said, it's logical. It's a logical choice." Saying it like that, she could almost believe it herself.

"Very well," Maleficent agreed, her lips curling up almost imperceptibly. "Perhaps we could share dinner again tonight, then. I hear the emergency rations are wonderful this time of year."

Letting out a little giggle, Aurora let herself relax. I she was going to go insane tonight, she couldn't have wished for a better companion. "That sounds wonderful." She grinned. "I'll make dinner, you bring the wine."

* * *

**A/N: In my mind, the blanket is an Official Starfleet Emergency Heating Blanket, stashed behind some panel on the bridge. It just feels like something Starfleet would provide in case of heating failure.**

**For people who don't read Star Trek wikipages at breakfast:**

**Utopia Planitia is a shipyard orbiting Mars where a lot of Starfleet ships are built/refitted/repaired.**

**The navigational shield is not meant to stop weapons fire, but instead lesser interstellar particles and objects (small asteroids, meteoroids, junk) from hitting the hull.**

**The other systems mentioned are as of yet not really relevant to the story. (Unless I forgot something.) You can read about them on Memory Alpha if you feel like it.**


	5. Cozy places and tight spaces

**A/N: Now that I think of it, the chapter title sounds kind of dirty. Sorry, no mature rating (yet)!**

**_Little word list for the non-initiated:_**

**Synthehol is/tastes like alchohol but most races (including Vulcans and humans) won't get drunk from it.**

**The war that is mentioned is the Dominion War (2373-2375) that even included attacks on Earth. It pitted the Federation and its allies against the Dominion, a race from far away parts of the galaxy. The Federation ultimately won the war.**

_**Notes for the nerdier folks:**_

**Technically, the gravity plating should go offline about four hours after the power is gone, but (although I don't explicitly mention it) in my mind, portable generators have been put on the decks that are still in use. The crew can't really be bothered to deal with zero gravity anyway. Nor can I.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Cozy places and tight spaces**

The candles were lit, the room was cleaned and her hair was moderately tamed. Everything was as much in order as it could get, but it didn't stop Aurora from being nervous, her palms sweaty, flitting around to fix a thing here, move a thing there. The spare bed that had been put there a few hours earlier was standing in a corner, hopefully giving Maleficent at least a semblance of privacy.

A knock on the door made her stop in her tracks. Giving the room a last critical look, she hurried over to the door, wiping her palms on her thighs. She fiddled for a moment with the portable generator that powered the door, muttering a few curses under her breath. Still, it was better than having to pry open the door manually. The generator came online with a hum and Aurora quickly jammed her finger on the door button.

"Maleficent," Aurora said brightly as the tall Vulcan came into view, her face lit up from the warm candlelight. She looked down at Maleficent's hands and frowned. "Is that wine?" she asked incredulously, eyes snapping back up to Maleficent's face.

"Indeed it is. I did say I would bring it, did I not?" An faint but playful smile was pulling on her lips as she handed over the bottle. "It is only synthehol, but I've heard it goes very well with emergency rations."

Aurora huffed but returned the smile. "I suppose the two most senior officers getting drunk the night before a critical mission wouldn't be particularly smart." She shook her head in amusement, walking back into the room to place the bottle on the table by the sofa, mumbling, "I can't believe you actually brought wine." A shiver made its way through her body, suddenly reminding her of just how cold it was.

Maleficent sighed. "Are you cold again?"

"No! I mean, a little?" Aurora winced. "I wasn't cold before, when I was running around and cleaning up. Not that I was really _running_, though. Of course." To her own annoyance, she shivered again. "Maybe I'm a _little_ cold," she muttered. After a few moments of staring back at Maleficent's pointed expression, she gave up. "Fine. I'll go get a blanket. Make yourself at home; they had to take away the table to make space for your bed," she explained, gesturing towards the sofa.

When Aurora returned with a large blanket from her bed, Maleficent was sitting in the sofa, two filled wineglasses ready on the table in front of her. Aurora sat down next to her, pulling the blanket close. Sticking her hand out past the crumpled layers of fabric, she happily accepted the proffered glass Maleficent held. Their fingers brushed against each other, making her stop and frown at Maleficent.

"Your fingers are ice-cold," she accused, narrowing her eyes at Maleficent. "You're freezing too, aren't you?"

"I'm perfectly fine," Maleficent assured her, only to shiver visibly as soon as the words had left her mouth.

"I can't believe this," Aurora muttered, putting down her glass on the table. Letting out an irritated huff, she unwrapped herself of the blanket and held it up, motioning for Maleficent to join her. "It was your idea to get warm, _Commander_. Don't make me order you in here." She wasn't sure where she suddenly was getting the confidence to more or less order Maleficent to cuddle under a blanket with her, but she was determined to use every second of it.

Maleficent opened her mouth to speak, but then apparently changed her mind, pursing her lips in displeasure. Aurora nearly giggled at the sight of Maleficent's pout coming back in full force. "Very well, _Captain_," Maleficent acquiesced, scooting closer to Aurora and wrapping half the blanket around herself. "Is this to your satisfaction?" Her voice was anything but accommodating.

"I think," Aurora hummed, closing what little distance there was left between them in another act of sudden confidence, "this will be just perfect." She cuddled up to Maleficent, unable to stop the unrepentant grin that spread across her face. "We'll get warm in no time."

Maleficent scoffed but made no move to distance herself from the cuddly captain.

They ate in relative silence for a while, their sparse dialogue accompanied by the irregular sounds of meteoroids hitting the hull. After a particularly loud hit, Aurora flinched, unconsciously huddling closer to Maleficent.

"There is no reason to fear, Aurora," Maleficent assured her in a low voice. "The hull is well equipped to withstand anything that may hit it."

"I know, it's not that," Aurora mumbled, feeling her cheeks heat up. "I... I don't want it to get hurt."

Maleficent tilted her head slightly and gave Aurora a strange look. "The ship isn't sentient. It can't 'get hurt'. It can't feel anything."

"I know," Aurora groaned, covering her face in her hands as her cheeks burned even hotter. "But I still feel for it. I mean, it just wants to travel the galaxy, exploring and studying– oh, never mind," she muttered when she saw the first hints of an amused smile make its way onto Maleficent's lips. "I'm human, I'm allowed to be illogical."

"Indeed," Maleficent murmured, hiding her smile behind another sip of her wine.

Aurora just huffed, downing the rest of her own wine. Putting the glass back down, she gave it an odd look. "You know, this wine really does go well with emergency rations. I mean, to the extent anything makes rations taste better." She turned to shoot a suspicious glance up at Maleficent.

"That is what I said, isn't it?" Maleficent asked airily. "Don't you listen to me, Captain?" Her outraged expression – outraged for a Vulcan, that is – didn't convince Aurora for second. "I'm offended," she deadpanned.

"Sure you are," Aurora replied, holding out her glass when Maleficent offered to refill it.

Silence fell as neither of them had anything in particular to say, only sipping their wine as mute sounds told of the rocks that struck the hull.

"I guess... I'm a little more protective of this ship since it's a science vessel," Aurora said quietly after a while, leaning her head against Maleficent's shoulder. "During the war, so many were refitted with more weapons and more stronger shields, to the expense of science labs and, well, anything not designed to blow stuff up." She paused and chewed thoughtfully on her lip. "Starfleet is going back to exploration and science now, but there are still so relatively few ships left that aren't equipped for war. Like this."

"The Federation, and in turn Starfleet, was built upon the principles of peace and exploration; a full scale war is an alien concept to them," Maleficent mused. "I don't think anyone really knows how to handle the aftermath of it."

"Yeah," Aurora agreed with a sigh, feeling the mood in the air dropping like a stone. "I'm just glad it's over. I didn't serve in any battles, but still..." She quieted, wondering if she dared – or should – ask her next question. Finally, she gave in to her curiosity. "Were– did you... serve?"

At first, Maleficent said nothing, her body tensing. Then, when Aurora was sure all she would get would be a cold glare and a dismissal, Maleficent replied, her voice barely audible. "Yes. In several battles."

Staring up at the woman beside her, Aurora's mouth formed a perfect 'o'. "Oh," she breathed, instinctively placing her hand on top of Maleficent's, squeezing softly. "As chief engineer?" Despite the warning voices that told her not to pry too much, she wanted to know more, to try to unwrap at least part of the mysterious woman.

Hurt flashed over Maleficent's eyes and she bent her head slightly, eyes cast down. "I was captain, in command of the– of a ship. Diaval was my first officer."

The question "which ship" was on the tip of Aurora's tongue, but she held it back. If Maleficent didn't want to tell her, she had a reason for it and it wasn't Aurora's place to ask. "Was it... big?" she blurted out, the first question that came to mind. She winced, immediately feeling ridiculous. What kind of a question was that? Still, it made a ghost of a smile tug on Maleficent's lips, pushing away the darkness for a moment.

"It was big," Maleficent agreed with a nod, absentmindedly stroking Aurora's hand that still lay in her lap atop her own. "It was strong and had one of the best crews I have ever served with." The smile faded away and her eyes became unfocused. "They were loyal and brave, every last one of them. And they never failed me, not even once." She swallowed, her eyes resting on Aurora's hand as her free hand traced meaningless patterns on her skin. "I could trust them. I..." She faltered and closed her mouth, shaking her head.

Aurora's heart clenched, seeing the pain on Maleficent's face. Although she could already guess the answer, she couldn't stop herself from asking, "What happened to them?"

Maleficent's hand abruptly stopped its stroking and her body became tense and rigid again. Straightening, she cleared her throat, schooling her features until her face was an emotionless mask. "Starfleet won the battle. That's all I wish to say about it."

With a soft sigh, Aurora let her head fall back to Maleficent's shoulder as she closed her eyes tightly. Unshed tears burned behind her lids and her heart ached for Maleficent's loss, however severe it had been. After a while, Maleficent's thumb resumed its slow strokes across Aurora's hand, but neither of them said much else that evening.

* * *

A day later, in the early afternoon, the bridge was beginning to come to life again. Portable generators attached to most of the consoles had let many bridge officers come back to prepare for the power coming back online. Aurora leaned back in the chair, resting her head and closing her eyes. She had worked most of the day, crawling up and down through the Jeffries tubes, organizing and supervising the purge together with Maleficent and Balthazar. The repairs had gone without a hitch – so far – but while the ship was beginning to return to working order, its captain was feeling more tired by the minute.

Her eyes came to rest at the helmsman's console where Maleficent sat. As the day had gone by and she had become more and more stressed, Maleficent had thankfully seamlessly taken over most of the coordination with Balthazar, leaving Aurora with a much lighter workload. As she had many times over the last week, Aurora briefly mused over what her command would have been like without Maleficent at her side – without the logic, the clarity of mind and the decisiveness that she brought to the bridge.

Confusion. Doubt. Hesitation. An overworked, inexperienced captain with a splitting headache. Complete and utter chaos.

On the other hand, Aurora was well aware of just how cool and collected Maleficent had been since their dinner the evening before. Maleficent had retreated back into her shell, so to speak, being all business and all Vulcan. She supposed most of the crew hadn't noticed it but to Aurora, the cold facade was disheartening, albeit not very unexpected. She had pushed too hard, gone too far and now Maleficent spoke to her like she spoke to a replicator.

Maleficent rose from the helm, tapping on her PADD briefly before bending down slightly to reach back for the console below her. Almost unconsciously, Aurora tilted her head, her eyes roaming over the tall woman's body. It didn't help with her concentration, but then again neither did her memories of cuddling up to Maleficent, huddling together under a blanket. Maybe it was the human parts of Maleficent, but she hadn't felt anything like the cold, distant Vulcan stereotype back then. She'd been soft and warm, even a little vulnerable. Relatable.

A beep from her PADD surprised her and nearly made her fall out of her chair. She glared at the offending object lying in her lap. _Right, the purge._ Lacking internal communications, they'd had to resort to a carefully timed schedule instead. Now, her PADD signaled the it was almost time to turn the power back on. Reluctantly, she stood and made her way over to Maleficent, clearing her mind of less proper images involving the first officer.

"Commander?"

Maleficent looked up briefly. "Captain." Without waiting for a reply, she bent her head back down, alternately tapping on the console and her PADD.

Awkwardly clearing her throat, Aurora tried not to feel to bothered by the cold reception. They were fellow officers, nothing more. Right? "It's almost time to turn the power back on. I'd like you down in engineering, coordinating it with Lieutenant Bailey."

Finally, Maleficent stood up straight and put down her PADD, turning her full attention to Aurora. She was looking oddly bothered. "I see," she said tersely. Her eyes shifted to the side, to the ground and then back to Aurora in an unusual show of discomfort.

Aurora frowned when there was nothing but continued uncomfortable silence coming from Maleficent. "Commander?"

"Perhaps you could ask some other officer instead," Maleficent suggested, her expression strained.

Aurora's heart dropped; Maleficent was obviously angry with her. That she would take it out during work hours surprised her, but Aurora couldn't feel anything other than guilt. She'd pushed too hard and abused her position and now she was suffering the fallout from it. She could practically hear Maleficent's dry voice in her mind explaining the risks of pursuing relationships with fellow officers. Taking a deep breath, she linked her hands behind her back to stop them from fidgeting. "Of course." She hesitated. "I'm... sorry about last night. I was unprofessional and shouldn't have asked you so many personal questions. And the closeness was completely inappropriate too, of course. I know Vulcans aren't as physical as humans and I should have respected that and I'm really sorry–"

"_Aurora._" Maleficent's annoyed voice cut through her ramblings, startling her.

Aurora blinked. "Uh, yes?"

"Could we–" She stopped and glared as one of the other officers stepped towards them. Noticing the dark look, the officer turned on her heels, suddenly finding it much more useful to work on the _other_ side of the bridge. "Could we speak about this in your ready room?"

Nodding, Aurora stepped aside and let herself be led to her ready room by Maleficent. A single portable lighting unit lit up the room faintly. "So..." she began, glancing up at Maleficent.

Maleficent sighed quietly, her discomfort still unusually visible. "It has nothing to do with that."

"It has nothing to do with what?" Aurora asked, a little confused by the sudden statement.

"It has nothing to do with last night."

"Oh." Aurora stared dumbly at her, a small part of her mind laughing wildly at the ways that sentence could be interpreted. "Then what has?" She shook her head, pinching her nose. "No, I mean, what has– why does nothing–" She sighed in irritation at her own inability to form a coherent sentence. "_Why_ won't you go down to engineering then?" Wincing, she realized how aggressive it sounded.

Again, Maleficent's eyes flitted around the room and she shifted her weight from foot to foot, if only very slightly. "I'm sure my time could be better spent here–"

"No," Aurora blurted out, surprised at hearing such an obvious lie coming from the Vulcan. "We're almost done with the preparations up here. When the power comes back, we need you down in engineering, working with Balthazar." Frowning, she took a step closer to Maleficent. "What's going on?"

"I'm..." Maleficent clenched her jaw, her body rigid and her eyes focused on a spot on the floor. "I dislike confined spaces," she admitted.

"But why–" Aurora stopped when realization dawned on her. "The Jeffries tubes. You're– you're claustrophobic?" she said incredulously.

"To an extent. The darkness does not help," Maleficent muttered in response, tilting her head up to meet Aurora's gaze. "I will go if you feel it important, but–"

"No, no, of course not! I'll go myself," Aurora insisted. "I just wish you had told me earlier – I could have reassigned you so you wouldn't have been forced to use the Jeffries tubes so much today."

"It was not a significant problem and my presence was greatly needed in other parts of the ship." Maleficent's eyes softened. "But I appreciate your concern."

Aurora sighed, allowing herself to relax. So maybe she hadn't messed up _everything_ after all. Still, she felt now was as good a time as any to clear the air further. "And last night... it wasn't..." She gestured vaguely, searching for the right words.

Maleficent gave her a look, apparently enjoying Aurora's rambling. After a few moments, she took pity on the incoherent captain. "I enjoyed it, for the most part. I would... not be opposed to doing it again at some point. Although," she paused, lifting an eyebrow, "perhaps under better circumstances. Working life support and palatable food would be preferable."

"I see." Aurora ducked her head, hiding her wide smile. "I'd like that, too." Clearing her throat, she schooled her feature. "Well. I should probably head down to engineering before Balthazar wonders if something's happened."

"You're not sending someone?"

"It'll be an opportunity for me to get more familiar with engineering and the crew down there. Besides, I think it'll be good if one of us two is down there while the other stays here on the bridge."

Maleficent nodded in agreement before turning around and following Aurora back to the bridge.


	6. And everything is wrong

**A/N: Lots of treknobabble, story progression (after all, this fic isn't just malora fluff) and plot twists that you may or may not have suspected in this chapter.**

**For the record, I'm trying to portray Philip as a bit silly but still all in all likeable, despite how Maleficent may feel. I hope it comes through. (And just to make it perfectly clear, there will be absolutely no hint of any kind of love triangle including Philip or anyone else. Don't worry, Malora will stay Malora.)**

_**Wordlist for those who need/want it:**_

**Jeffries tubes are maintenance shafts running through the ship and they are the only way to get between decks when the turbolifts are down. (Apparently I forgot to explain that earlier, sorry!)**  
**Galaxy class starships are huge, 1000-3000 crew members and over 40 decks. Compare that to a Nova class with its compliment of 80 crew members and 8 decks.**  
**The warp core is the ship's main power generator, basically. Without it running (or present), the ship still has some power, but not much.**

**Not much more to say, other than that the story is going to pick up the pace a bit after this chapter. I hope you enjoy it :) **

* * *

**Chapter 6: And everything is wrong**

Ensign Philip Scarlett was not on the bridge, that much he was certain of. Was this deck four? Deck five? He pursed his lips, peering into the long corridor ahead of him. Maybe deck three. He sighed. A map would really have come in handy now. Looking down on his wrist, he checked the oxygen left in his breathing mask. At least two hours with regular usage, so at least he didn't have to worry about that.

To many, being a helmsman of a starship while having no sense of orientation might seem strange, but to him it wasn't that odd. On his own, he could barely find his way out of his own quarters while at the helm of a starship, he was completely at home. He'd graduated from the academy with almost perfect grades in astrophysics, starship handling, and advanced subspace geometry, despite his difficulty to find his way around San Francisco the days he forgot his map.

Much like his situation right now. Without the computer to guide him and the turbolifts to take him to where he was supposed to go, he was completely lost.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a hatch opened nearby, revealing the silhouette of Captain Rose. Thankful that the lack of light hid his embarrassment, he quickly walked towards her. "Captain?" he said tentatively, his voice muffled by the mask.

She looked up, crouched near the wall and just about to replace the panel she'd come out through. "Ensign?" She stood, squinting at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh," he said, letting out a nervous chuckle. "I was on my way to the bridge, through the Jeffries tubes, but now I seem to have become... hopelessly lost."

The captain hummed in mild surprise, thankfully not appearing too upset about it. He guessed she'd read about his lack of sense of orientation in his files. Still, Captain Rose was the last person he'd want to look bad in front of and, if he was completely honest, not just because she was his superior. She was barely ten years older than him, yet already captain of her own starship and although he wasn't sure if he ever wanted that kind of responsibility, he couldn't help but admire her. The fact that she was very pretty didn't help either.

"Well," she said, "I see." She gestured at the still opened panel beside her. "It's that way. Up two decks, forward two sections and then up another deck."

Philip looked at the panel, surprised. Why hadn't he thought of that? He really needed to memorize the ship's layout better. Getting lost on a Galaxy class starship or a Sovereign was one thing, getting lost on a ship with eight decks and 80 crew members was just silly. He looked back to the captain, unsure of what to say.

"The bridge," she helpfully clarified. "Through that panel."

He was sure she wasn't intentionally trying to make him feel like a complete moron, but the result was the same. He was very glad his cheeks wasn't visible in the darkness. "Ah, yes." He nodded in an attempt to regain some appearance of intelligence. "In there, of course. I'll be sure to hurry back."

Despite the dim light, he saw the captain's smile through her mask. "Good. I'll be in engineering until the power is back up. Until then, Mal– uh, Commander Moors has command on the bridge. Ensign." With that, she gave a curt nod and hurried off down the corridor.

The mention of the Vulcan commander made him wince as he made his way through the opening in the wall. As much as he enjoyed the captain's company and perhaps wouldn't _object_ to something more than a platonic relationship, he had no intention of trying his luck. The commander's glare towards him a few days earlier had made it very clear that Captain Rose was strictly off limits, for one reason or another. He just hoped that Commander Moors didn't take his friendliness towards the captain as anything more than that. Dealing with the commander was difficult enough without her seeing him as competition or whatever the reason might be for her obvious dislike.

By the time he exited the shaft, he realized he had completely forgot the captain's instructions. How many decks up was it again? Cursing to himself, he loosened a panel leading out into a nearby corridor. Maybe he could find someone else to ask for directions. He got to his feet in the corridor and turned on his flashlight, peering down both ends of the corridor. He didn't see anything, but he did hear some noises from one end of the corridor.

"Hello?" No response. "Is someone there?" He rounded a corner and saw several forms scurrying out from one of the living quarters. "Hello?" he repeated.

At the sound of his voice, the people stopped and turned towards him. It was still to dark to make out anything but vague, humanoid shapes.

Philip frowned. "Who are you? You're not–" The rest of his sentence was cut off as something hit him squarely in his chest. The next thing he knew, his legs collapsed under him and everything went black.

* * *

Balthazar glanced at his oxygen levels before adjusting his mask and grunting to himself. Not high enough for his liking, but they were almost ready to power up so if they'd done it right, the masks wouldn't be necessary for much longer.

On queue, the engineering doors slid open and Captain Rose stepped in, immediately heading towards him.

"How are things coming along, Lieutenant?"

"About done, Captain. I'm only waiting for two more reports and then we'll start it up. Everything ready on the bridge?"

"As ready as we'll ever be," the captain replied with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Honestly, I'd be glad just to have emergency power up and running again."

"I hear you," Balthazar muttered. Being on a literally powerless ship was very near the top of things he never wanted to do. Organizing was a complete mess and it was near impossible to get anything done beyond the most basic tasks without the computer online.

An officer hurried over to him and handed him two PADDs. "Thanks, Ensign," he muttered. Skimming through them, he nodded to himself. The last of the purge seemed to have gone as well as he had hoped. "Well, that's about it, we're good to go." He looked up to meet the captain's eyes in the dim lights. "With you're permission, Captain?"

"Yes, of course." Captain Rose bobbed her head quickly in agreement. "Please."

"Alright." He put away the PADDs and clapped his hands a few times, the sound echoing through the room. "Listen up, people: it's time to turn the power back on! Everyone, gather around me."

The sounds of footsteps filled the engineering room as dozens of officers all hurried over to him. He smiled inwardly at the display; it was a damn good crew that worked exceptionally well under pressure. Even in the middle of an emergency, the engineering crew had taken the change of leadership in engineering without batting an eye. Granted, he had served as chief engineer before and even on the USS Fae he had been the second in command in engineering, but it was still an abrupt change.

"We'll start with emergency power and work our way up," he explained when everyone was there. "Atlas, take your team and make sure the plasma flow and the power grid is stable. Fenrir, your team is in charge of initiating the power systems. Wait for my mark. Luna's team is responsible for the warp core. Any risk of nebula particles compromising the core, you hit the kill switch. The rest of you, get to your posts." The crowd scattered almost as soon as he finished his short speech, all having their own job to do. Turning back to the captain, he said, "I guess you'll stay for the fireworks?"

Captain Rose let out a little chuckle with only a hint of nervousness. "I'll stay, but hopefully without any fireworks."

Balthazar almost barked out a laugh, as much at the comment as at the captain's expression. Despite the uniform and the professional look, there was this strange... openness – he couldn't really describe it well – to her that he hadn't seen much in commanding officers, let alone in captains. Not that it really mattered to him, though. Maleficent seemed to accept her without any problems and that was enough for him. Besides, as long as the bridge officers didn't try to mess with the warp core, he was fine with whoever was in command. He was an engineer, not a politician.

Three "ready" was shouted from different parts of the room.

"Alright, let's do this," Balthazar muttered, nodded at the captain and then turned towards the nearby console. "Fenrir, mark," he barked. Suddenly, the room was filled with a dim, blinking red light. "Yeah, that's helpful," he scoffed, glaring at the lights. Tapping in a few commands on the console, he skimmed through the output for a moment. "Everything looks fine. Let's get auxiliary power and the warp core online as well. Fenrir, Luna!"

"Aye, sir!"

A soft humming sound was heard, growing louder by the second. A moment later, the warp core was glowing again, bathing the officers around it in its soft light. Balthazar let go of a breath he hadn't even realized he had been holding. He'd missed that comforting glow.

"Auxiliary power is online," came the report from Fenrir. "Everything's looking stable for now."

"Good," Balthazar nodded, an uncommon grin playing on his lips, his teeth glittering in the light. "Very good. I want to check some things but we should get main power back in a matter of minutes."

"Oh," the captain remarked, surprise evident in her voice. "That soon?"

Balthazar shrugged, feeling lighter than he had in a week, despite the few remaining worries. "When it works, it works."

Captain Rose sighed, although if it was from relief or disappointment, Balthazar couldn't tell. "Well then, I should probably get back to the bridge. I want to get out of this nebula as soon as we have warp power back online."

"I don't blame you," Balthazar said, his expression darkening. "This has been one hell of a mission." He snorted and shook his head. "And _not_ in a good way."

"Yeah," the captain said, a wistful smile barely visible behind her oxygen mask.

* * *

When Aurora stepped back onto the bridge, the first she noticed was the light. Everything was so _bright_. She didn't even bother to cover up the wide grin that spread across her face when she stepped down to her chair.

"Captain," Maleficent greeted her and Aurora swore her expression was somewhat brighter as well. It only made her own grin widen.

"Commander," she replied, her chipper demeanor making Maleficent's eyebrow rise just a bit. "How are we doing?"

"Most systems are back or in the process of coming back online. We should have warp power within the hour."

Aurora frowned. "An hour?"

"Balthazar wants to make sure there aren't any traces of the nebula particles left in the power grid."

"I suppose that's wise," she mumbled. The last thing she wanted to do was to rush things and get stuck in this godforsaken nebula even longer. Leaning back in her chair and relaxing her tense body, she let her eyes take in the view in front of her. It was light, the viewscreen was on, it was _light_ again and Philip–

Furrowing her brows at the sight, she blinked in confusion. That wasn't Philip at the conn. "Where is Ensign Scarlett?" she asked, turning to Maleficent.

Maleficent shot a glance at the helm and then back at Aurora. "I assumed he was on his way."

"No, I met him when I went _to_ engineering. He should have been back already." She pursed her lips in thought. "Is the computer online yet?"After a nod from Maleficent, she said, "Computer, locate Ensign Philip Scarlett."

"_Ensign Scarlett is not aboard the ship._"

"What?" Aurora exclaimed. They were out in the middle of nowhere, where could he have gone? Unless– "Computer, run a level ten self-diagnostic." Turning to Maleficent, they shared an odd look. Something was wrong.

"Diaval," Maleficent said, "test the sensors. There might be an error from the cold boot."

The tenseness that had kept Aurora's body in a tight grip ever since Captain Roberts had died was now back with vengeance. Could Philip have hurt himself when trying to make it back to the bridge? Had an airlock malfunctioned, sending him off into space? She shivered and swallowed hard. The possibilities went from chilling to heartbreaking.

"_Diagnostic complete. No errors found._"

"Nothing here either, Commander," Diaval said with a helpless shrug. "No errors, no tampering, nothing at all."

The look on Maleficent's face hardened, her jaw clenching. "Computer, search for any humanoid corpses throughout the ship."

An uncomfortable silence filled the bridge as the computer got to work. Maleficent sat completely still, eyes narrowed and jaw set. Aurora, on the other hand, couldn't seem to be still at all, her fingers alternating between tapping on the armrest and fiddling with each other. Finally, Maleficent put her hand over Aurora's, stilling them both and easing Aurora's unrest a little bit. It wasn't much, but it was something.

"_Search complete. One body found. Location: Sickbay. Previous designation: Captain Brent Roberts._"

"Computer," Maleficent continued, "do any sections of the ship currently connect directly to space? Are there any hull breaches?"

"_Negative._"

"Have any airlocks been open the last five hours?"

"_Unknown. Sensors did not record during that period._"

"Does that mean..." Aurora began, unable to form the words. "I mean, he could have–"

"We can't be sure," Maleficent cut her off. "Anything could have happened when the sensors were down." She paused. "Diaval, scan the area around the ship for any trace of Ensign Scarlett."

"Aye, Commander."

Aurora was silent, preparing for the worst. Twisting her hand slightly, she interlaced her fingers with Maleficent's, enjoying what little comfort and grounding it gave her. Maleficent didn't seem to mind, her own hand shifting to better fit with Aurora's.

"I can't find anything on external sensors either," Diaval said, frustration mixing with helplessness in his voice. "The nebula is limiting both the range and resolution. There is this strange energy wake, but apart from that I can't–" His voice was interrupted by a loud crackle followed by sparks flying out of his console. Jumping back, he cursed loudly. "What the hell just happened?"

As if set off by his question, the whole ship shook, the lights flickered and sparks flew out of several consoles that blew out in quick succession. Smoke flowed out from a ruptured tube in the ceiling and small fires flared up in some of the broken consoles. People were shouting and running but Aurora sat still, unable to take it all in.

"Aurora."

She'd lost another one – this time even under her command – and now the ship was on the verge of getting destroyed. She wasn't ready for this, she didn't _want_ to do this, she–

"Aurora!"

Aurora was suddenly aware of a hand holding her chin in a firm grip. Blinking, she realized the hand belonged to Maleficent who was currently bent over her, staring into her eyes with an urgent look.

"Captain," she said, her voice growing softer as Aurora snapped out of her daze. "You need to collect yourself. I don't believe we're under attack but many of the ships systems have failed." Loosening her grip, she leaned in closer, her voice low enough to be a whisper. "We'll get through this together, Aurora, but that requires _both_ of us." With that, she straightened, stepped back and sat down in her seat next to the captain. "Report!"

"Massive systems failure, Commander," Diaval replied, having relocated to a working console. "From what I can tell, half the EPS conduits blew out together with a handful of random systems all over the ship." He tapped frantically on the console. "External sensors and weapons are gone, shields are barely working, propulsion..." Running his hand through his dark hair, he shook his head in defeat. "Barely functioning. Balthazar will need a miracle to get this working again."

"Is there any immediate danger to the ship?" Aurora asked, struggling to keep her voice even.

"I... think we're fairly safe, Captain, but you'll have to check with engineering to be sure. And without external sensors we're completely blind."

"Any casualties?"

"Everyone's accounted for except Ensign Scarlett. A few cuts and bruises here and there, nothing serious. The doctor seems to have everything under control."

"Then I suppose we'll have to hear what Lieutenant Bailey has to say," Maleficent said, her voice oddly flat. Hovering her hand over her combadge, she turned to Aurora and cocked an eyebrow, silently asking for permission.

Aurora just nodded, glad to let Maleficent handle it. She didn't care if people saw her as weak; Maleficent's calm was sorely needed right now.

Maleficent tapped her combadge. "Balthazar, what's going on down there?"

"Don't even think about blaming the purge, Commander," Balthazar growled back. "This isn't our doing."

"Then what should I blame?" Maleficent replied, a sharp edge to her voice.

Balthazar laughed, a raspy, harsh sound. "The ship has been sabotaged, Maleficent."

"What?" Maleficent and Aurora exclaimed in unison.

"Some little fu– _someone_ booby-trapped every system they could get their hands on. When the power went online, the systems were activated and everything went to hell down here. We haven't even finished putting out the fires yet."

Maleficent pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled loudly. "Are you saying one of the crew intentionally damaged the ship?"

"All I'm saying is that someone did it. I can't say anything more than that until we've analyzed the devices." He paused. "And put out the damn fires, too. Balthazar out."

Slumping back in the chair, Maleficent looked far more tired than she had at any point during the previous week. Without thinking, Aurora pulled Maleficent's hand up on the armrest, linking their fingers and squeezing gently. A little surprised, Maleficent turned her head and met Aurora's eyes, her face softening visibly.

"We'll figure this out, Maleficent," Aurora whispered with a weak smile on her lips, her eyes never leaving Maleficent's. "You, me and the rest of the crew. Together."


End file.
